Colleen McCullough's The Thorn Birds sold more than 30 million copies worldwide

AAP: Harper Collins

Internationally acclaimed Australian author Colleen McCullough has died in hospital on Norfolk Island, aged 77.

The popular writer was most well known for her sweeping family drama, The Thorn Birds, set on a remote sheep station in outback Australia.

The book, which sold 30 million copies worldwide, was sold for a then-record $1.9 million and a miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Barbara Stanwyck became one of the most watched of all time.

But The Thorn Birds was just one of the many books McCullough wrote in a career spanning four decades.

Life after fame

She was the portrait subject of Wesley Walters' Archibald Prize entry and was also awarded the Order of Australia for "service to the arts and to the community".

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said in a statement that her impulse typewriter purchase had "immeasurably enriched the literary landscape of our nation and the world".

"Colleen has written her final word but she lives on in bookshelves and libraries around the world - and in the hearts of all who loved her," he said.

"Colleen's family and friends have our heartfelt condolences."

Publisher HarperCollins Australia said on Twitter her contribution to Australian writing and to readers around the world had been "immense".

"She was one of the first Australian writers to succeed on the world stage," HarperCollins Australia publishing director Shona Martyn said.

"Ever quick-witted and direct, we looked forward to her visits from Norfolk Island and to the arrival of each new manuscript delivered in hard copy in custom-made maroon manuscript boxes inscribed with her name.

"We will miss her dearly."

McCullough had suffered poor health in recent years, going blind and with crippling arthritis.